Treat Me Rudely

Dare to Love Me Episode 7 drops us over the wall as Yoon-bok escapes to Seoul, explaining that he’d run away at 17 to find his mother. But when he finally did, he watched her run, saying there was not such person. After Camille’s announcement, to avoid abandonment, he asks Hong-do to stay away. But at home, Hong-do wonders if it’s because of the love letter she’d mistakenly sent to him.

At the Village, the press surrounds the entrance, swarming Yoon-bok upon arrival. Inside, the leaders discuss how the news has made Seongsan Village items – that were being shunned days ago – now sell out. Leader Shin wants to consider carefully, to make the best decision for the village.

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At Jun-ho’s restaurant, Yi-bok has joined the crew. When Yoon-bok enters, Jun-ho helps her avoid him saying they’re booked out. By phone, the detective informs Yoon-bok that they’ve placed someone undercover at the restaurant.

Both visiting for work, Hong-do and Yoon-bok run into each other at the Cultural Heritage Administration, but he barely speaks to her. Both drowning in memories, when Yoon-bok gets home he finds the love letter. Misunderstanding, she explains that the letter was not written by her but he’s suddenly feeling guilty for upsetting her. And he’s instantly back to obsequiously kneeling in front of her and begging her to hit him.

Instead, she gets him to agree to grant her three wishes. The first, treat her rudely. He’s practically swallowing his tongue as she explains what that entails, like sharing tables and speaking casually. She’s thrilled when he succumbs but has to work hard to get him to walk close enough to step on her shadow.

At the Village, Se-ryeong won’t eat so her father approaches Leader Shin about a marriage proposal with Yoon-bok. Meanwhile, Shin asks Yeojudaek and Chil-bok to deliver a message to Camille in Seoul. He’ll allow the fashion show if she can personally convince more than half the villagers. Then Yeojudaek and Chil-bok go shopping and out for a romantic-ish lunch.

For her second wish, Hong-do has Yoon-bok take her to a campsite to draw her picture. And for her third wish, there’s somewhere she’d really like to go.

On the street, Yoon-ah recognizes Yi-bok and follows her home to Yoon-bok’s house. But as Hong-hak had been pining for Yoon-ah he’s joyful when he sees her nearby, following until she speaks with him. She merely apologizes for her mistake, asking him to avoid her. But as a truck heads toward her, he jumps in front of her. Just as the crossing sign lights up.

At home, Yi-bok gets a call about her declining mother, grabbing Hong-do to accompany her. So she meets Yoon-bok’s mother, gushing about him. Outside the room, Yi-bok hopes her mother will live until Yoon-bok’s anger dissipates so they can meet.

When Yoon-bok texts Hong-do about meeting for her third wish, she tucks the Webtoon Festival tickets away and has him come to the hospital address instead. As they get his mother ready to go outside, Yoon-bok spots them in the hallway.

Today’s epilogue has Hong-do drawing Yoon-bok, as she teases him about stuff on his face. Then she has both drawings famed, noticing the sadness in his eyes.

The Episode Review

Admittedly one of the best moments is Chil-bok taking Yeojudaek to eat Japanese tonkatsu and calling it ‘Western food.’ I guess this weird little rom-com moment removes the suspicion from Chil-bok, swapping to a third romance, however silly. Right behind the goofy non-romance between Hong-hak and Yoon-ah.

Meanwhile, you have to respect a girl who knows how to pack her multi-part wishes, all attempts to create closeness and do away with the formality. It’s a solid strategy as she’ll need a lot more than 3 simple wishes to make an impact. Is she making progress? That’s still to be seen, as the real issue is that she will leave if given the chance at her dream. Lots to go before she reaches it, as Camille will surely rope her into helping convince the villagers to gain her opportunity.

How do you feel about the non-lead romances? Let us know in the comments below. 

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